Nothing strikes fear into the heart of a dedicated CCer than having your prize vintage ride get trashed because of some other motorist’s stupidity behind the wheel. Especially when you’re not even driving it at the time. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened here. I stumbled upon this sad sight when returning home from work one day last summer, and an older lady living down the street filled me in.
Just behind the complex is a large public park. Despite the occasional riff-raff, things stay mostly pretty quiet around here. One problem we do occasionally have is yahoos who enjoy doing donuts at the park entrance, or at the first intersection on our wide street. From what the lady told me, some leadfoot was burning the tread off his tires the night before when he fumbled , creamed the Benz, and then promptly took off. You can clearly see part of the broken turn signal lens laying on the ground in front of the car. The owner probably didn’t even know the extent of the damage until he or she pulled off the cover that this car normally wears, only to be greeted by this gut-wrenching sight.
The badging denotes this car as the 380SL, which is generally viewed as the least desirable model of the R107 platform. Even so, an example as slick and pristine as this one ( before it got hit ) deserves respect. The flawless paint and chrome, the total absence of any dirt, the newish whitewall tires, and the fact that it’s kept covered indicates a car that is thoroughly loved and cherished by its owner. Lesser model or not, it certainly deserves better than this.
I used to see this car semi-regularly parked on the street, always covered up. Since this mishap, I haven’t seen it once. I sincerely hope that the owner held onto it and had it fixed, rather than letting some jackleg insurance adjuster get their hands on it and have it carted off to the boneyard after paying the owner a mere pittance, for what is basically cosmetic damage. As I said before, any well-preserved R107 deserves better than that.
Bonus pic: this is my own munched Mercedes, my 1990 300SEL. In this shot the damage to the right rear door and forward wheel arch is clearly visible. That’s how it was when I bought it. Luckily I was able to find a clean, straight replacement white door at my local Pick-A-Part during one of their half-off sales. The car’s last owners were an ex-military couple turned homeless drug addicts who briefly lived in the car before abandoning it near the tow yard I rescued it from. God only knows what sort of abuse and neglect this poor car was subjected to during the final months of their ownership. After seeing the pictures of that crunched 380SL, I think I’m gonna run downstairs and give my W126 a hug.
Ouch! This reminds me of the video going around social media earlier this year when a prize winning Packard convertible sedan rolled into a pond at Pebble Beach, becoming completely submerged.
Your Benz reminds me of the 68 Chrysler Newport sedan I bought in the 90s. It was a really nice, straight, original car – except for a big old deep dent in the right rear door. I was told that a prior owner was suffering from a medical issue and lost control in a gas station, where he drove it into one of those concrete pillars that protect the pumps.
The damage was restricted to the door, so a door replacement would have been easy. But for two things – first, finding a 30 year old rust-free Chrysler door would have been a challenge, then both inside and outside were painted different colors. Plus, it fit so perfectly and worked so well that I could not justify trying to overcome the Mrs. and her reluctance to spend money on the car.
Another Packard rolled into a pond at the Hilton Head Concours A couple of weeks ago. The car was completely submerged. It took a wrecker and dive team about four hours to pull the Packard out and on to a flatbed.
Note to self: If I ever buy a Packard, check the parking brake immediately…
The story of the Chrysler strikes a nerve. I own a ’66 New Yorker that was my grandparent’s. At one point my grandmother cut a turn short and put a substantial dent in the right rear door. When I did the restoration on the car I bought not one but two parts cars. One with a visible ding in the right-rear door, and the other without. But, when we stripped the other one, that right rear door’s interior had huge damage, consistent with having been re-skinned after a crash rather than replacing the whole door. Wound up taking parts from all 3 doors to make one. What is it with that era’s Chryslers and right-rear doors?
Maybe it’s the Chrysler equivalent of the Camry Dent.
The Camry Dent…?
A phenomenon by which a startlingly large number of late-model Camrys have dents in exactly the same place–the corner of the rear bumper cover. Google it and you’ll find it’s been well discussed, kind of amusing.
I know, right? I still remember marveling at one of those little Chrysler invisible costs that nobody would ever notice. Did anyone else paint the upper interior sides of the sedan door window frames to match the interior color? I knew I was never going to find a beige door with green painted trim inside so as to do a simple no-painting swap.
I once bought a beautiful on three sides ’65 Chrysler Newport in 1984 for $100.00. The interior was immaculate,low mileage and ran like a top.The only problem was the whole right side had been sideswiped from end to end just below the door handles.The doors still opened closed perfectly and the windows rolled up and down. Didn’t leak in the rain. It would have cost a fortune to have repaired and repainted so I pulled the engine and transmission and put them in my ’67 Dodge pickup. Which is why I bought it the first place but it kind of pained me to do so.
That SL makes me want to cry.
A few years ago I was walking down Damen Ave., a major street that runs right through the heart of Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood, and one that is always lined with cars, since parking is at a premium in the area.
It was around 11 PM, and an obviously intoxicated young lady had just left her boyfriend’s place after a major fight. She started screaming in the direction of his apartment, and decided to take her anger out on the cars on the street. One by one, she started knocking their outside mirrors off. Thwack, thwack, thwack. She had gotten to about a block’s worth before I saw police lights in the distance coming up the street. I wonder if she did get caught- that was probably at least a few thousand dollars worth of damage.
Welcome to Chicago.
When I lived in Lakewood Balmoral, all the streets are narrow and one way, with parallel parking on either side. Not a week went by where one of the local resident’s cars hadn’t been sideswiped. Sadly, older Mercedes like these weren’t uncommon there, and a pristine 1994ish W124 convertible met the same fate.
If I didn’t have a garage, there’s no way I would own anything but a beater. My old car got the snot knocked out of it on various streets around the city.
This is no joke. My sister sold her car within 3 weeks of moving to Chicago; keyed, hit, and egged. She was over it.
I gotta admit that in 15 years of owning a car around here I haven’t seen keying or egging. Less malice than incompetence, really.
About ten years ago I was talking on the phone around midnight next to my car parked on Clark in Uptown. Heard a KRRRRT and turned around to see an old first gen brown Taurus wagon sideswiping the entire block of cars, including mine.
Someone pulled a stunt like that when I was a teenager. They ended up backing into my Mothers 1983 Z-28 and crushed the rear quarter panel. It wasn’t a collectable car (about 15 years old at the time) The insurance adjuster looked the car over and said it was worth fixing which was nice she loved that car.
It’s sad to see stuff like this happen to people who obviously love there car.
I would probably become quite homicidal if I were that car’s owner. It’s obvious how much he or she loved and cared for that SL. I personally have always hated those aftermarket chrome wheel arch moldings, and white walls on a pretty much any European car are anathema as far as I’m concerned, but to each his own tastes.
A car cover is a great way to preserve a car, if used properly. But one of the problems with using one is that the schmucks of the world get to run into your car with no evidence visible until the cover is removed. By then they’re long gone, or they won’t confess to it because the damage wasn’t visible at the time of contact. Guess how I know?
I think the damage here was more than superficial. I’ll bet that left front wheel was hit, damaging the front suspension in some way. It wouldn’t surprise me if this car punched a ticket straight to the scrapyard. I really sympathize with the owner.
Ouch! I hope it’s insured.
I loved the mid 1980’s era Mercedes-Benz, jaguars & BMW’s.
I grew up in this era, when premium high end foreign brands were associated and in the hands of higher income middle class families (exclusively). I remember when regular lower tier income folks dream of driving these brand was a pipe dream..lol.
Due to depreciation, we can all ride in these jewels today. However, BMW’s, Jags, Masarati’s, Mercedes-Benz etc, All had so much unique character & charm bout them. They looked down right ultra expensive back them.. Today it’s well, we will leave it at that………
Just seeing one on of these cars on the street back then made ones blood boil. If you found yourself driving next to a Jag, BMW, M-Benz etc. You drove extra blocks just to admire the beauty of the car. All while lower tier income Americans (working stiffs). Had to be content with our blah Chevrolet Citations, Pontiac 6000/Grand Ams, Cavaliers, Ford Escorts etc..lol.
Murphys Law
Plenty of room in front of classic car
Plenty of room in back of classic car
Where does shit head end up spinning out of control?
Yep the pictures tell all.
Sadly, that R107 probably got totaled and sold for salvage. Coming soon to a pull it yourself yard near you.
The parking lot at work routinely has a 3-series BMW convertible that looks this way on both sides. It’s rather sad.
Ouch ouch ouch! This brings a tear to my face. So sad to see that damage. On the road to my house, there is a curve to the left that has street parking. At least once every 6 months I will see a car sitting there, completely sideswiped because of an inattentive driver that missed the curve.
BTW… are you located in San Diego? So Cal?
Damn, that’s a shame. One of the hazards of street parking, but sometimes there’s no better alternative (my previous residence had no off-street spaces, so I sympathize). Probably on the fine line of repairable/uneconomical, and probably also dependent on whether the adjuster just used “book value” or actually tried to price it fairly for the model, condition, and age (I have no idea how old this car is, could be a ’74 or could be an ’89 though I don’t know when they stopped using the bundt wheels or what years the 380 spanned).
This damage, combined with your 300SEL’s story, also strikes a chord with me. In my old neighborhood, there was a beautiful condition 420SEL that parked a couple blocks from me. White over tan leather, just like yours. The car was a driver, but immaculately kept. I moved away last year but when passing through last March, not too long after a serious snowstorm, the once-immaculate 420SEL was showing heavy damage to the door and rear fender around the rear wheel. I imagine someone lost control in the snow and slid into it. The car hasn’t been there the last couple times I’ve passed through, and I fear the worst–as beautiful as it was, it may have been beyond economical repair.
There’s a special place in hell for hit and runners, and I hope whoever did this gets sent there ASAP.
It looks repairable, the suspension may need an arm or tie rod at most as far as internal damage, but the fender probably took the brunt of it, and a used R107 fender and door are easy to find. If it got hit in the back I’d be less optimistic.
It’s very important to heavily over-insure an older summer car to prevent being totaled for repairable collision/other damage. Just write it upfront, regardless how the insurance agent says.
The big thing for anybody driving a collectible car is to get “Agreed Value” insurance coverage. There are a few companies that specialize in this…. although in this case, I ‘d be willing to bet the SL owner didn’t have it… as for my company at least you must keep the vehicle garaged.
Totally agree regarding the proper coverage for your classic.
I disagree that the owner did not have that kind of coverage, though. The fact that the car was never to be seen again likely confirms this. If they had shit liability+collision -deductible style insurance, the car likely would have stayed put. It certainly must have still been driveable?
That’s pretty much how it works here too. An appraisal report, every 36 months, for the insurance company is required. And, just like in your case, keep the vehicle garaged. Worst case scenario, when the car gets totaled, at least you get the amount / value mentioned in the report.
I *hate* that garage requirement. Because of that, I’ll never be able to get any sort of collectible/agreed value insurance on a car (not that I own one worthy of it at the moment). I have a 100’+ long driveway that extends all the way to the back of my property, but I can’t build on it due to setback laws. But it’s *way* off the street. And yet that’s not acceptable?
Yes, yes, should have bought a house with a garage. But still. I could see paying a surcharge, but to have it be flatly impossible is more than a little galling.
My insurance company ( a regular car insurance, not a collectible car insurance ) doesn’t require garage and they accept an agreed value of older cars. But Hagerty and those specializing collector cars, they usually require a garage.
I photographed this 51 Chevy last year, looks like it might have been hit while parked on the street
http://topclassiccarsforsale.com/chevrolet/234065-1951-chevrolet-styleline-deluxe-sedan.html
PFT ! that’ll buff right out .
-Nate
this gets me thinking it might be a good idea to have a dash cam set to run while the vehicle is unattended or triggered if the car is jolted. might have a decent chance of getting some ID of the scofflaw. sadly these days it’s not terrorists i worry about but my fellow self absorbed countrymen.
Mercedes-Bent.
Just needs a fender and a door.. but are those chrome arches hiding rust ?.
Due to the condition its still worth fitting used panels.
Horrible! Can I take the opportunity to correct the myth that a 380 is a lesser 107. This all comes down to a single issue – the timing chain. Legend has it that 380 engines literally tear themselves apart because of the single row timing chain fitted to the 380’s for the USA, whereas the other v8’s had a double row chain. There is also a need to replace the chain at about 100,000 Klm but this is common to all of this generation v8’s. The plastic guides don’t help either. The chain is not an issue here in Australia as 380’s had the double row chains. By now, just about every 380 anywhere would have been fitted with double row chains and the guides should have been replaced at the same time. With this single issue sorted, properly of course, the 380 is as robust, endurable and smooth as any other Merc v8’s. Unfortunately many have had cheap engine work over the years and often fitted non Mercedes parts – never a good thing!
Yikes–that’s terrible about the Mercedes. The worst accident that I can remember that involved an older car, was about a couple of years back on the highway, when I saw a Corvair that had completely crunched its front end by slamming into the back of the truck in front of it. It was a nice Saturday early morning/ afternoon, and the guy must have been out cruising it or using it to run a couple of light duty errands.
I agree that is maddening but worse is doing that trick to yourself. for 16 years I haunted my aunt to get my hands on her immaculate Bonneville SSE. three months after I finally got it I misjudged backing out of a car wash and folded one of the back doors around a concrete parking pillar. it was repaired but until the day she died three years ago anytime the subject of driving came up she was very quick to trot out the story of how I “wrecked” her baby after all her years of proud ownership. sigh….:(
Poor little Benz. Luckily the damage seems limited to bolt on components. It is possible that there are other less visible areas affected. These used parts are pretty widely available around here. I would fix it. Lining up or massaging all the fits calls for some time and skill though. There’s a beautiful white SL like this (Just noticed it there a week ago) I just started passing on my way to work, parked on the street. This is a busy street that I’ve seen some cars that were obviously parked curbside that were hit during the night. I winced a little for that little white SL. My old Jag could suffer the same fate if hit, but I bought it to drive, so I do.
So sad .
Typical jerkhoff doing donuts then bugging out like a coward .
-Nate
Nothing worse than some inconsiderate, chicken sh*t, pecker head nailing your car and then taking off. This used to happen often to my friends and I when I lived in Gainesville and worked at the mall during college. You’d come out and find your bumper pushed back and your taillight smashed. Not a note or a witness to be found……BS.
I can’t imagine the thinking (or lack thereof) of the guilty party who damages someones property and then decides, “well…screw’em” and leaves the scene. In those cases, I pray they win a visit with Karma.
Jeez that thing is just in poor shape. I was a nervous wreck when I did similar damage to my neighbor’s 240D, I still have the orange paint on my rear bumper to remind me what stupid mistake I’ve done.
Normally, my libertarian views would not agree with what I’m about to say. But honestly, if you do damage to a car that’s more than just a paint trade, and you drive off without leaving any contact info or anything of the sort, your insurance premium should automatically be tripled. I know that may seem impossible to enforce, but goddammit, personal accountability is a concept that needs to be beaten into some people’s skulls.
And as for the people asking for Karma, normally I would be all for it, but I can speak from experience. It’s a slow responding and apathetic force when you need it the most.